


We Are Golden

by magenta



Series: We Are Golden [1]
Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-13
Updated: 2010-07-13
Packaged: 2017-10-10 13:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/100120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magenta/pseuds/magenta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kris is the new kid at school, and he gets to decide where he belongs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Are Golden

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Mika's "We are Golden", a good old-fashioned high school AU.

  
As if the first day of school wasn't horrible enough, Kris had the double pleasure of also being the new kid. His family had moved from Arkansas to California, and nothing was familiar and Kris knew no one. He'd made it through his morning classes just fine, and had even met some guys from the baseball team who seemed like they could maybe end up being friends, so he at least had someone to sit with at lunch.  
As he opened his bottle of juice and took a bite of his turkey sandwich, he half-listened as the guys tried to tell him who was cool and who to avoid. They pointed to a table in the left corner of the cafeteria and warned him to definitely not, under no circumstances be seen with those people. They were, they whispered as if it was a disease, theatre kids. They singled out one particular boy, tall with shaggy dark hair and a face full of freckles. "That's Adam Lambert. He's a queer, you better stay away from him. You're one of us now," one of the boys said, nudging Kris with his elbow.  
Kris looked at the boy, nodding aimlessly as the guys at the table continued to warn him about the dangers of Adam Lambert. He found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Adam, his wide smile as he laughed with his friends, the glint of his rings as he waved his hands attracting Kris' attention like a magpie. He quickly swallowed the last bit of his sandwich and excused himself from the table, hurrying out of the cafeteria.  
Kris spent the rest of the day, and the rest of the night at home thinking about Adam. He'd never even talked to him, though that afternoon he'd learned they were in the same English class, but every time he closed his eyes, Adam was there. He tossed and turned that night, trying to figure out what to do. Hanging out with Adam was apparently "social suicide", or so the baseball team had said...but did he really want to be one of them? Kris was at a new school, with no expectations, and he could be whoever he wanted to be. By the time Kris fell asleep, sometime after 3am he'd decided what he was going to do.  
The next day as he walked into the cafeteria for lunch holding his tray, the guys from the day before hollered his name and waved him to their table. He walked right past them without looking until he reached Adam's table. He sat in the empty chair next to Adam, who turned a confused look in his direction. Kris looked into Adam's steely-blue eyes, smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Kris Allen, and I'm new here. Apparently, I'm committing social suicide by sitting with you, but frankly that's okay with me. If it's not okay with you, just let me know and I'll go back over there and claim I had some kind of seizure and forgot where I belonged..."  
Adam laughed and placed his hand on Kris' arm, stopping his rambling. "Whoa, whoa there. Cute new boys are always welcome at my table, Kris Allen. I'm Adam Lambert. Nice to meet you."  
With that, they settled in to an easy conversation, talking about music, movies and all sort of other things and Kris thought that if this was social suicide, it sure felt like friendship instead.  
That night at dinner, when his parents asked him if he'd made any friends yet, Kris overflowed with stories. He'd only talked with Adam for an hour at lunch, but he already felt like he'd known him forever and he was excited to have clicked with someone already. When he described Adam and his interests, he noticed his father's eyebrow raising in a silent question, but shrugged it off. Sure, Adam was different than the guys he'd hung out with back in Arkansas, but this was a new school, a new state...everything was different here and Kris had decided he was okay with different.  
Every night that week, Kris again laid in bed thinking about Adam, but now it was different. He wasn't nervous, or afraid, and in fact felt more at ease than he had since learning he was going to be moving across the country. Adam and his friends felt comfortable, and they felt right and he knew he'd made the right choice. He could hardly wait to get to school the next day just so he could see Adam again, and he only paused for a second to wonder if his eagerness to see Adam meant something more.  
He continued to sit with Adam and his friends everyday at lunch, and he learned he liked them almost as much as he liked Adam. There was Allison, a younger girl with wild red hair and a loud, brash voice; Megan, with her long blonde hair, wicked sense of humour and quirky style; and Matt, with his ever present fedora and fingers that moved over the edge of the table as if it was a piano. There were others who came and went, but those three were clearly Adam's closest friends. Though Kris was quiet, especially compared to Allison they welcomed him into the fold openly, even more so when they found out he was musical too.  
"You play the guitar AND the piano?" Adam asked one day, clearly in awe, which boggled Kris. "You should play for us sometime. Do you sing?"  
Kris nods, his cheeks reddening. "Kind of. I mean, I've written some stuff."  
"Dude, we're having a party next weekend, and you have to come and sing, man! It'll be awesome!" Allison announced, leaning over the table to punch Kris on the shoulder.  
Kris looked around the table, and Megan, Matt and Adam were all nodding too, urging him on. He reluctantly agreed to bring his guitar to the party, even though he'd never played his own music in front of anyone that wasn't his own reflection in a mirror. Under the table, he felt a hand resting on his thigh, a comforting warmth that he realized was Adam's. He looked down, seeing the black-polished fingers rubbing lightly over his jeans and moved his gaze to Adam's face.  
Adam was looking at him in a way he'd never seen anyone look at him before. There was comfort there, and Kris needed that, but there was something else, something that Kris' couldn't recognize. Whatever it was, it made his head feel fuzzy and he felt his cheeks get even redder as he reached out for his soda can, taking a quick swallow.  
After that, the conversation turned to different topics, and Kris settled back into the rhythm. Adam's hand didn't leave his thigh until the bell rang for the end of lunch period, and Kris missed it. After that, he found himself wanting Adam to touch him, or to touch Adam himself. Nothing big, just bumping their knees together under the table, or leaning close to touch shoulders. Kris had no idea if Adam was conscious of this change, but if he was he didn't mention anything, and for that Kris was grateful. Frankly, he wouldn't know what to say if Adam did bring it up.  
The rest of Kris' week flew by, and it was the first time since starting school that he realized he wasn't looking forward to the weekend. Two days without seeing Adam suddenly seemed like an eternity, and Kris was kicking himself for not getting Adam's phone number or email. He spent the weekend with his guitar, practicing his music for the party that coming weekend, playing the same songs over so many times that his brother threatened to smash his guitar if he didn't stop.  
Kris woke up Monday morning more excited to go to school than he had ever been, and he dressed and ate quickly, flying out the door, hollering a goodbye to his mom. He was hoping he'd be able to find Adam before classes started, and not have to wait until lunch. He knew that he and his friends usually hung out in the smoking area in front of the school so he figured he'd ditch his bag and head out there.  
He walked into the school and hurried to his locker. He was putting his bag away when he heard a hand slam against the locker next to him. Startled, he looked to the side to see Michael, one of the baseball players he'd sat with on his first day. He smiled nervously, before speaking.  
"Morning. Um...What's up, Michael?" Kris asked, leaning against his locker in an attempt to look casual. Michael's mouth was set in a hard line, and he was obviously upset about something.  
"What's up? We took you under our wing, Kris. You could've been popular. But now...we saw you hanging out with that fag, Adam. Unless you sit with us today, you'll be done in this school." Michael was right in Kris' face, and Kris was more surprised than anything. He'd only been at this school for a week; why the heck did Michael care who he hung out with?  
"Why do you care who I hang out with?" Kris asked, straightening up slightly. "I've been here a week, no one even knows my name yet." Michael took a half step back, thrown off by Kris not just giving in.  
"Listen, just know that you're makin' a choice here. Those freaks are not the people you want to be friends with. Unless you want people thinking you're a fag too." Michael had moved close to Kris again, and Kris could feel his breath.  
Kris straightened, stretching himself as tall as he could. "Maybe I don't care what people like you think." He slammed his locker shut, and turned walking away quickly, leaving Michael in his wake, jaw hanging open.  
As Kris got closer to the smoking area, a wide but nervous smile spread across his face. He'd never been able to stand up for himself like that before, and there were times he wished he'd been able to. Even now, he wasn't exactly sure what had caused this sudden burst of confidence, but he liked it.  
He rounded the corner of the building and saw Adam, Allison, Megan and Matt laughing together on the benches. Allison saw him coming and got up, running towards him to swing an arm over his shoulder.  
"Hey dude! Did you have a good weekend? I can't wait for the party this weekend, it's going to be siiiiiiick!" Allison was talking a mile a minute as she pulled Kris over to the benches, pushing him to sit next to Adam. He chuckled as he listened to her continue to chatter about the party, listing off what they needed to buy, and who was coming until something she said caught his attention.  
"You guys are all going to sing?" Kris was simultaneously excited and horrified. He wasn't going to be the only one singing now, which took some of the pressure off, but added a whole different kind. He has the distinct feeling that his new friends were really talented, and while he knew he was too, they were definitely more practiced.  
Megan answered Kris nonchalantly. "Well, yeah we're going to sing. We always do at our parties, it's kind of the point!" She reached over to pat his knee. "But don't worry, you'll be great. Everyone's just there to have a good time and hear some music anyways. And we..." she gestured her arms in a big circle, "are all totally different, so you'll fit right in."  
Kris was excited to hear all of them perform, so he let that excitement take the place of his nerves as he joined in the conversation about what kind of snacks they needed to have, and if anyone could manage to obtain some vodka. He got so involved in the conversation that he totally forgot to tell Adam about his interaction with Michael that morning, and didn't remember till halfway through second period. He reminded himself to tell Adam at lunch, and spent the rest of algebra lost in his thoughts.  
As Kris carried his tray into the cafeteria, it quickly became obvious that he wasn't going to have to tell Adam what had happened this morning. He walked past Michael's table and heard insults being hurled at him.  
"Faggot!" Michael yelled, throwing a balled up napkin in Kris' direction. Michael's friends joined in, throwing empty pop cans, handfuls of grapes and more napkins at Kris as he walked by. "Cock-sucker! You love Lambert's dick, don't you, Allen?" The insults grew increasingly horrible as the boys riled each other up. Kris just kept walking, trying to turn the other cheek as his mom would tell him to do. He trained his eyes on Adam's table, where his friends sat staring at the scene before them with wide eyes, all except Adam.  
Adam almost looked like he was going to cry as he watched Kris get closer to the table. Even when Kris was too far away for their projectiles to hit him, the yelling didn't stop and Adam's mouth had settled into a straight line. Kris finally reached the table, and sat heavily next to Adam. He leaned over, resting his head on Adam's shoulder for a second before wrapping his arms around him.  
Adam shifted, trying to pull away but Kris just held tighter. "No," Kris said firmly, but in a small voice. Adam relented, relaxing into Kris' arms and wrapping one arm around his shoulder. The guys at Michael's table had mostly shut up, but Michael was still glaring daggers at Kris and Adam. Adam just sighed and pulled Kris tightly against him.  
"What the hell brought that on?" Allison asked, eyes wild. Kris sighed deeply and turned his face away from Adam's shoulder.  
"This morning at my locker...Michael kind of threatened me? He said if I didn't stop hanging out with you guys, people would think I was a f...gay too. Obviously, he's trying to make good on that threat. I told him I didn't care what he thought and I guess this was a test." Kris shrugged, finding it hard to be too upset when he was tucked under Adam's arm. Besides, Megan and Allison were plenty mad on his behalf. They chattered loudly at one another making plans for revenge while Adam was oddly quiet beside him.  
Kris turned to face Adam, pulling out from under his arm. "What's up?" Kris asked, eyes full of concern.  
"It's just, you don't deserve this Kris. It's all my fault that you're being treated this way and I'm sorry." Adam spoke quickly, his hand rubbing over his face.  
"Listen, Adam. I'm a big boy, and I made my choice, okay? I kind of knew what I was getting into here, and I don't really care. I like who I like, and that happens to be you right now...so don't worry okay? I can handle this." Kris smiled, and bumped his shoulder against Adam's to signal that he was done talking about this. Adam's hand drifted to its familiar spot on Kris' knee and the conversation moved away from what had happened with Michael and his friends and back to more comfortable topics.  
The rest of the week passed quickly and mostly without incident. Every time Kris walked past Michael or his friends, he faced a familiar barrage of insults but he was already very good at tuning them out. He didn't care what they said about him, that was their problem. He just thought of how much he was looking forward to the party this weekend, and how he was going to convince his parents to let him miss church on Sunday so he could spend the night at Adam's.  
By Friday, Kris had thought that Michael had mostly lost interest in him. Like his mom always said, if you don't respond bullies eventually give up. Kris thought that this was what happened, until he was walking down the hall with Adam after lunch that day. They passed Michael and his friends, and the same insults flew at Kris, and he brushed them off as usual. However, today they'd decided to change tactics.  
"Hey Lambert!" Michael yelled, causing both Kris and Adam to stop in their tracks. This was different. "You're a fucking faggot! How does it feel to know you turned Allen queer too? Do you fuck him in the ass? Is he going to get AIDS from you, you fucking fag?" Michael was walking slowly towards Adam, with his fists clenched. Kris looked up at Adam and saw the muscles in his jaw working hard. He looked down and saw Adam's fists were clenched too, and he immediately put a hand on Adam's shoulder.  
Adam looked down at Kris, with a look on his face that Kris never wanted to see again. "Adam. Don't. This is what he wants."  
Adam responded in a cool, level voice, "Then I'm going to give it to him." Before Kris could even yell at him to stop, Adam was off towards Michael, fist raising. His fist connected with Michael's jaw harder than anyone expected, and Michael fell to his knees. He looked up at Adam, a combination of shock and anger splashed across his face. He started to stand, and Adam tightened his fists again, ready. Kris was about to throw himself between them when, thankfully, one of the teachers walked out of the cafeteria and hollered at them to stop. Adam and Michael were dragged to the office, leaving Kris standing bewildered in the hallway. As the bell rang, Kris headed to the English class he should have been going to with Adam, and waved off questions when asked where Adam was.  
Halfway through class, Adam entered the classroom quietly, his knuckles a little red. He handed the teacher a note, and sat in his spot next to Kris and Kris shot him a question with his eyebrows. Adam waved his hand, which Kris took to mean that he'd explain later, and opened his book, pretending to follow along with Shakespeare. Kris turned his eyes back to his own book and stared blankly until the bell rang.  
As soon as he and Adam made it to the hallway, Kris asked him. "What happened? Why did you hit him? Did you get in trouble?"  
"I hit him because what he was saying was disgusting, and no one deserves to have that said about them, you or me. Those idiots also forget that despite being a flaming queer," Adam smirked, wiggling his polished fingernails, "I'm also 6'1, and if I worked out more I could be built like a linebacker. Anyway, I have detention tonight, because I "started it". Fucking homophobic school..." Adam muttered under his breath.  
Kris squeezed Adam's arm, bringing a welcome smile to Adam's face. "What about your parents? Will they make you cancel the party?" It was weird how much Kris was looking forward to this party, when he'd never even been to a party at his old school.  
"Don't worry about it. My parents are cool. They'll be pissed I hit him, but they'll also think what he said was horrible. It'll be fine." Without thinking about it, Adam leaned down to kiss Kris on the top of the head, and then froze, pulling back. "Oh, um...sorry."  
Kris' cheeks flushed a little, and he smiled up and Adam. "No, no...don't be. It was fine." Better than fine, Kris thought to himself as he felt his scalp tingle where Adam's lips had touched him. The bell rang, and they parted ways with Adam calling out to him from the opposite end of the hall.  
"I'll call you tomorrow afternoon! You can come help set up!" Kris could hardly wait.  
That night at dinner, Kris brought up the party casually to his parents. "So, some friends are having a thing tomorrow night."  
"Oh?" asked his dad, Neil, scooping a pile of mashed potatoes onto his plate. "What kind of thing?"  
Kris shrugged, "Nothing big. We're just going to sit around and play some music."  
"Well, that's nice honey, where is it?" Kris's mom, Kim passed him the green beans.  
"Adam's." Kris swallowed a mouthful of pot roast before continuing. "His parents are going to be there and everything. And he's going to pick me up, so I don't have to take the car." Kris' parents shared a look, before his dad spoke again.  
"Will you be home for church on Sunday morning?" Neil asked, looking rather intently at the slice of pot roast on his plate, and trying to sound casual.  
"I was hoping I could stay at Adam's. It might go kind of late, and I don't want you guys to worry. And I can go to church Sunday night..." Kris was rambling, and he knew it but he couldn't stop himself.  
Kim just chuckled, and reached over to clasp her hand over Kris'. "Don't worry honey, you go and you have a good time. Just bring this boy in to meet us when he picks you up, okay?" Kim shot a look at Neil, who was clearly not as okay with as she was. "One week of missed church won't hurt. I'm glad you're making friends here." Kris exhaled loudly, a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He quickly finished his dinner, and asked to be excused.  
As soon as he got to his room, he called Adam. They'd finally exchanged numbers, though this would be the first time Adam wasn't doing the calling. When Adam answered the phone, Kris told him excitedly he was coming to the party, and was allowed to stay over.  
"Awesome!" Kris could hear the smile on Adam's face through the phone. "So what time should I pick you up? I was thinking like, 3 or 4 and then we can set up, and my parents are going to order pizza for us."  
"That works. But my parents want to meet you before I spend the night, so just come up to the house okay?" Kris fiddled with the hem of his shirt as he answered.  
"Oh, of course!" Adam responded, "I'm great with parents, no worries!"  
Kris smiled, thinking that Adam was pretty much good at anything he put his mind to. He relaxed into the conversation, and they talked for an hour until Kris' brother, Daniel banged on the door demanding use of the phone.  
Kris spent that night going over the songs he was planning on playing tomorrow for what felt like the hundredth time. Just a few days ago he'd decided he wanted to play a cover of a song that Adam had played at lunch. He wasn't really familiar with the artist, but after today the lyrics seemed especially appropriate. He practiced it until the wee hours of the morning, and fell asleep with his guitar in bed with him.  
Despite going to bed late, Kris woke up early on Saturday morning to get ready. He took an extra long shower, and spent twice as long as normal picking out an outfit that ended up looking a lot like his regular jeans and t-shirt. He packed a bag for the night, and set it next to his guitar by his bedroom door. He looked at the clock and groaned when he saw it was only noon. Still three hours before Adam was coming.  
For the next three hours Kris puttered around the house, succeeding in doing nothing more than getting in everyones way. He tried to watch TV but Daniel made him leave because he was fidgeting and drumming his fingers on the table. He went outside to help his dad with the yardwork, but the second time he clipped the wrong branch of the hedge he got sent back inside. He ended up sitting in the kitchen, helping his mom chop vegetables for dinner.  
"Kristopher?" Kim asked, her tone light, but not effortlessly so.  
"Mmhmmm," Kris responded, dumping the pepper he'd just chopped into the pot of sauce.  
"You seem awfully nervous about this party. And about this boy. Is there something I should know?" She moved to stand next to Kris, placing her hand softly on his shoulder. Kris stiffened.  
"He's just my friend, Mama. That's all." Kris stepped away from her, shutting his eyes. What was she talking about? Adam was just his friend, that's why he was excited, wasn't it? Kris heard the doorbell ring, and shook his head to clear it, knowing that Adam was on the other side.  
He walked a little quickly into the living room to open the door, and found Adam with a huge smile spread across his face. His dark hair was neat, not pushed back but still showing his face. He wasn't wearing any makeup, but his nails were immaculately polished. Kris knew he was toning it down just a little for his parents, but also knew that the nail polish was there to make sure he wasn't lying. Kris told him to go ahead and sit on the couch, and called his parents in.  
True to his word, Adam charmed Kris' parents from the first minute. He assured them that his parents would be there, and nothing bad would happen. He regaled them with stories that had both his mom and dad laughing till their eyes watered. Kris' parents told him they wanted to have a word with him before he left, so he told Adam he'd meet him in the care.  
"He's a nice kid, Kris. Have a good time tonight." Neil clapped Kris on the shoulder, and went back to the yardwork. Though he hadn't said much, that was more than enough for Kris, who turned to Kim next.  
She hugged him goodbye and whispered in his ear, "Just so you know, I approve. Have fun, baby." Kris murmured a goodbye, and walked to the car, still a little bewildered at what his mom had said. As soon as he sat down in Adam's car however, he felt nothing but happiness.  
Adam's car was a beat-up old thing, with nothing but a tape player, but it was Adam. A small disco ball hung from the rear view mirror and mix-tapes covered nearly the whole back seat. Adam looked at him with a smirk on his face. "Told ya I was good with parents! Let's go have an awesome time!"  
Kris leaned back into the seat, and rifled through the tapes in the console before picking an unlabelled one. He popped it into the tape player and an unfamiliar voice floated through the car. Kris listened in awe for about three seconds before Adam punched the eject button. "What?" Kris asked, confused. "Who was that? They're amazing!" Adam's cheeks were flushed. He was actually blushing. Kris suddenly understood. "Was that YOU singing? Dude, you're incredible!"  
Adam smiled a little, turning into his street. "Thanks, Kris. That means a lot. I can't wait to hear you sing tonight!" Adam was obviously changing the subject, and Kris just went with it. He'd never seen Adan ruffled quite like that, and he didn't want to push. They pulled into Adam's driveway, and Kris took in the house. It was nice; on the large side, but still comfortable. He and Adam carried his stuff, and the things Adam had purchased for the party into the house and took them down into the large, finished basement. They set up tables, bowls of chips and a cooler full of soda and chatted about nothing for a few hours.  
At 5, Megan, Allison and Matt arrived and came downstairs trailed by Adam's parents, Leila and Eber who were carrying armfuls of pizza and a brown paper bag. Kris introduced himself, and found he liked Adam's parents. They were funny and nice, and he was shocked to find the paper bag contained two bottles of vodka.  
"We know you're going to get it, so we'd rather you get it here." Leila said, winking as she tossed the bottles into the cooler. She waved at them as her and Eber headed back upstairs, ensuring them that they would stay out of the way. Kris set the pizza on the table with the chips, and they settled into the couches to wait for the rest of the guests.  
By 8pm the party was in full swing, and the room was full of people Kris didn't know. They were mostly theatre and band kids from school, and he recognized them but didn't know their names. He mostly sat with Adam and Allison, tucked into the couch and sipping his vodka and coke. As he drained his drink, Adam stood to announce that they were going to start the music soon. Matt was going to go first, followed by Megan, Allison, Adam and finally Kris. When Kris balked at going last, Adam explained in what sounded like a very logical tone, that he should go last because he was new. Whether it was the vodka going to his head, or something else Kris found himself agreeing.  
Matt got up and dragged an electric keyboard from the corner, setting a stool up behind it. As he started playing, Kris was mesmerized. He pounded the keys like he couldn't get the music out of his body fast enough, and his voice was smooth, but still rough in all the right places.  
Megan went next, and Kris was again shocked by the bluesy, quirky voice coming out of the petite blonde. She made him smile with her voice and with her weirdly adorable dance moves, and Kris was starting to wonder if all of Adam's friends were this talented.  
When Allison stood to sing, Kris learned the answer. Allison sang with the power and tone of someone much older and more tortured, and Kris swore he felt the room shaking with the power of it. He cheered loudly when she mock-curtsied at the end of her performance, and then he found himself drawing in a deep breath.  
Adam pulled a stool to the centre of the room, sitting down and looking at the floor. Kris held his breath until he opened his mouth and started singing. Kris recognized the song from the movie _Donnie Darko_, but it had never sounded like this. Adam's voice soared to the high notes and went soft for the low notes, and Kris found himself leaning forward, his mouth hanging open.  
Allison leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Dude, I know he's amazing, but you might want to cool it with the hearts in your eyes." Kris just elbowed her, and went back to listening to Adam who was getting ready to start a second song. This time, he stood up and sang and danced some catchy pop number, that he said he'd written himself. His hips swayed and writhed like he was boneless, and Kris' eyes moved from Adam's hips, to his face and back again. Adam was clearly lost in the music, and Kris couldn't get enough of watching him. He danced a little in his seat, a huge grin spreading across his face as he watched Adam perform. He sang a few more songs, and for Kris, the rest of the room had entirely faded away.  
When Adam announced it was Kris' turn to sing, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to. Adam had pretty much turned his knees to jelly, and he almost tripped over the coffee table as he made his way to the stool. He settled his guitar on his knee, and started with one of his oldest songs he had written. He could sing it backwards and hanging upside down if he had to, and judging from the looks on his new friends faces, he was doing it well. Adam's eyes were wide, and he had a knowing smile on his face. He bobbed his head along, his eyes never leaving Kris'.  
Kris sang two more songs he'd written, and decided to sing the song he'd heard Adam play last week. "Um, so I didn't write this song, but I changed it up a little. So, thanks Adam for playing this for me." As Kris started singing the words of the song, a realization started to spread through him. The song was about self-discovery, and coming into your own, and Kris was doing that right now, thanks to Adam.

Teenage dreams in a teenage circus  
Running around like a clown on purpose  
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?  
No givin up when you're young and you want some

Running around again  
Running from running

Kris had finally stopped running from who he was. The day he sat down at Adam's table marked a change in his life, and he hadn't really realized it until right now. Adam's eyes grew wide as he recognized the song, made totally different through Kris' relaxed, acoustic arrangement. As soon as he'd heard the song, he'd related to it immediately, but he was even more enamoured with it as it was spilling from Kris.

__

I was a boy at an open door  
Why you staring  
Do you still think that you know?  
Looking for treasure  
In the things that you threw  
Like a magpie  
I live for glitter, not you

Kris loved his new friends, and more importantly, he realized he loved Adam. He knew he had to live his life for himself, and not for other people, and what he wanted was Adam. Adam, complete with nail polish, eyeliner and disco ball car decorations.  
As he sang the final chorus, he looked into Adam's eyes and was shocked to see his own expression reflected there.

__

We are not what you think we are  
We are golden, we are golden

Kris set his guitar down and vaguely heard clapping as he walked towards Adam. He reached out his hand and pulled Adam up towards him, and pressed their lips together. For a second Kris was worried Adam wasn't going to reciprocate, but then he felt Adam's lips give against his and his hands snake up Kris' back to run through his hair.  
They were surrounded by a chorus of hoots and hollers, and Allison shouted, "Finally!" Adam shot her the finger, and pulled away from Kris long enough to say, "Now seems like a good time to end this shin-dig. So...bye!" He went back to kissing Kris, standing in front of the couch and Megan took care of shooing everyone out.  
They stood there kissing until they were breathless, and Kris pulled back, resting his head on Adam's shoulder, smiling. "Mama was right...she's always right."  
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, nosing through Kris' hair, inhaling the scent of his shampoo.  
"She asked me if there was something she should know about me and you...and that she approved. How she saw it before I did..." Kris trailed off, running his hands over Adam's chest.  
"Moms are like that. You know my mom actually told me I was gay?" Adam laughed, pulling Kris down onto the couch, lacing their fingers together. Kris kissed Adam's polished fingertips one at a time, where they rested against the back of his own hand. Adam looked down at their hands and had an idea. "Hang on, I'll be right back!" He got up quickly, tossing Kris against the pillows on the side of the couch and returned a minute later with a bottle of black nail polish.  
"Give me your hand." Adam motioned, unscrewing the bottle. "Come on, just on nail." Kris thrust his hand out to Adam, and felt the coolness of the nail polish as Adam deftly painted his nail in three strokes. He blew on it softly to dry it, and looked up at Kris through his dark lashes. "Now you've always got a part of me with you."  
Kris pulled Adam back onto the couch, and they kissed until they fell asleep curled into one another on the narrow couch. Leila woke them up sometime late the next morning, a knowing smile on her face. "Kris, your mom called and she's going to come get you after lunch. You two come upstairs, and I'll make you something to eat. I bet you need it." She smirked as she walked up the stairs, and Kris saw exactly where Adam got it from.  
Adam kissed Kris softly on the nose and asked, "So, this is still good right? It wasn't the vodka and the music?"  
Kris kissed him back and answered, "Nope, it was always you." Together they went upstairs and ate the sandwiches Leila made them, and Adam helped Kris pack up his stuff. Too soon, they heard Kim honking in the driveway, and after a not-so-quick goodbye kiss, Kris headed out to the car.  
"So, how was it?" Kim asked innocently.  
"You were right," Kris said simply. He hadn't planned on telling her, but it just kind of happened.  
Kim reached across the console and patted Kris' knee. "I know, baby. I'm always right when it comes to love. You give me his phone number and we'll have his parents over for a nice dinner next weekend. We should get to know them."  
Kris stared at his mother in shock for a few seconds before breaking into relieved laughter. The rest of the way home he leaned his head against the window, lightly stroking his fingers over his painted thumbnail and humming to himself.

__

We are golden, we are golden.

  



End file.
